Harness-trace.



No.; 877,683. PATENTED JAN. 28, 1908.

C. VAN DENBARK'. I

HARNESS TRACE. l APPLIGATION FILED DB0.21.1906.

WHA/55555 luseful. Harness-Trace, of which the following PATENT enrichi- CHARLES VAN DENBARK, OF LINCOLN,

NEBRASKA.

nannies-TRACE.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

atented Jan. 28, 1908.

imitation med December 27.1906. serai No. 349.672.

To all whom it 'may concern. l

Be it known that I, CHARLES VAN DEN- BARK, acitizen of the United States, residing at Lincoln, in the county of Lancaster and State of Ne"oraska, haveinvented asnex is a specification. Y

This invention relates to improvements in harness traces of that class which employ leather and metallic chains in their construction.

i The ob'ect of the invention is to provide a trace .of tiiis kind that will combine all of the advantages of a leather trace with the strength and permanence oi a metallic chain construction.

It is well known traces are liable to stretch unequally in service and that the inequality in-the length of traces thus occasioned is often the cause of injury and discomfort to the horse. l

In this invention a metallic chain is housed within a leather trace in such a way as to be 'entirely concealed and protected from the weather and the'tracepiesents no external vi'itidi'cation of this reinforcement.

The invention .consists in the novel .com- Vbination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafteninllymdcribed, claims and illustrated in the' accompanying drawings, inwhich,`' 'r #1: i

igule 1 is aside elevation of a tracecoistructed in accordance with this invention; Figg isrtransverse section of the trace shown in--F ig. 1; Fig. 3 is`an loigitudinal cenF tral section of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal central section of a hames-tug constructed in accordance with this invention.

Referring to the drawings, the leather sheath or portion 1 of the tiace is provided with a longitudinal pocket formed by sewing or ,by fastening by other means between the two o posite outer layers, two layers 2, 2, exten 'ng along the opposite edges of the trace leaving a clear space between. The several layers forming the trace. are folded up to form a loop 3 at one end ol the trace,`

into which the said pocket opens. The loop 3 is adapted to receive the pintle 4 of the cock-eye 5.

Fitting snugly within the ocket of the trace is the chain 6. Each lin r of this chain is formed in a well known manner trom a sinle piece of sheet metal bent in the form of a oop and having substantially pear-shaped apentul'es at each end thereof registering y that ordinary leather l with each other and adapted to contain the loo of' of the terminal links of the chain 1 2Igliosecures the chain longitudinally in a fixed position within the pocket of the trace. rlhe free end of thechain terminates within the outer end of the trace and is concealed from view. by a leather closure at the end of the pocket. v 4Holes 7 yadapted toreceive the tongue of a trace-buckle` are punched through the trace neartheouter end thereof and positioned to register with apertures in the chain links so that the buckle tongue will be brought into contact with the links in such a manner that any forwardpull upon the buckle will be di `vided between the leather'portion of the trace and the chain and will be transmitted directly and independently in each case to the cock-eye. The trace buckle shown in the drawings is attached to one end of the haines tug and is of a well known design particularly adapted to the purpose for which it is here lused, as any forward ull upon the buckle binds it together against the opposite sides of the trace and presses theside'walls of the contained et against the chain, thus binding the trace and cha' 4.together so that thewhole tongue. lt is evident that this improved method of reinforcing leatherv may be used for many different purposes besides that of forming a trace. One of the many ways in which-thisinvention may be applied 's in constructing haine tugs, as shown in Fig. ing. This .tug has a central longitudinal pocket opening into leather loops at yeach end of the tug. i chain iits snugly wihin to of a trace buckle extending through one of the loops, and end to a steel clip or in the loop, adapted l used to attach the tug to the haine. It is obvious that by this construction oi a trace or a haine the leather sheath and its contained chain sustain the tension jointly and severally, and that either may break without impairing the efficiency oi' the other.

What is claimed is l'. A device. of the character described comprising a leather portion having a longitudinal pocket therein, and a chain disposed to receive the pin or bolt looped portion of the adjoining link. Thel pintle of the' -ockeye, passes through the pull upon the buckle does not come upon its 4 of the draw-V attaching device 8 witliv ,said chain comprising a plurality of links each consisting off a loo ed apertured member, the'loop of each inem er .extending through the v 'joining member, said leather portion having openings registering with certain of the loop comprising a leather receiving apertures for buckle tongue. 2.- A device 'of the receptionV of a the character described portion having a longitudinal ocket and provided with looped ends, a c i Within one of the loops and' having space ends, and a chain dis osed longitudinally withinhthef pocket and) extending aperture of 'an ad# i between and secured in said ends, said chain consisting of hnks each complrising a loop having registering apertures, t e aperture of /ach link being designed to`receive the loop f an adjoining link, the leather portion of 20 said device having openings registering with certainof the loop receiving apertures of the chain. y f -4 l l In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature 25 in the presenceof two Witnesses.

, 'CHARLES VAN DENBARK.

l/Vitnesses: l

. W. B. JOHNSON, FREnM. LEWIS. 

